English (ENGL)
The English department offers four majors: English, English literature, English teaching and English/journalism. A fifth undergraduate program is the interdepartmental linguistics major. We also offer the English/law 3+3 option for students interested in pursuing a JD after just 3 years of undergraduate study as an English major and the English major/text, business writing and digital studies option.
Though we offer several different programs in the English department, our shared focus is on studying the expressive possibilities of the English language in its myriad forms. Our classes pursue three teaching missions. First, we train students in professional study of the English language. Second, we offer students ways of understanding the various traditions of works written in English, with emphasis upon close reading and placing works in historical and cultural contexts. Third, and particularly important, we teach students to write with clarity, persuasiveness and elegance, and for a variety of audiences and situations. In all of our undergraduate English majors, we provide our students with critical thinking, writing and research skills that will enrich their personal and professional lives.
Writing Programs
The Department of English offers courses for students interested in becoming writers. Writing workshops are offered in fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction. Intermediate-level courses may be taken more than once for credit, especially with two different instructors.
English (ENGL)
ENGL #400 - English for International Students
Credits: 1-4
Designed for international students to provide additional support in course work. Students continue to develop skills in listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing in English. No letter grades.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 4 credits.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 400A
Grade Mode: Credit/Fail Grading
ENGL 401 - First-Year Writing
Credits: 4
Training to write more skillfully and to read with more appreciation and discernment. Frequent individual conferences for every student.
Attributes: Writing Skills(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): ENGL 401A, ENGL 401H
Mutual Exclusion: No credit for students who have taken ENG 420.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 401A - First Year Writing for Multi-Lingual Students
Credits: 4
A special section of first-year writing for students whose native language is not English. Training to write more skillfully and to read with more appreciation and discernment, with special attention to the challenges of non-native speakers of English. Supplemental work on listening and speaking as necessary. Frequent individual conferences for every student. Students may not take both ENGL 401 and ENGL 401A for credit.
Attributes: Writing Skills(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): ENGL 401, ENGL 401H
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 401H - Honors/First-Year Writing
Credits: 4
Training to write more skillfully and to read with more appreciation and discernment. Frequent individual conferences for every student.
Attributes: Honors course; Writing Skills(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): ENGL 401, ENGL 401A
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #401S - Literacy Studio
Credits: 2
Develops college-level literacy skills through scaffolded instruction, necessary for success in English 401.
Co-requisite: ENGL 401
Grade Mode: Credit/Fail Grading
ENGL 405 - Introduction to Linguistics
Credits: 4
Overview of the study of language: universal properties of human language, Chomsky's innateness of hypothesis, language acquisition in children, dialects and language variation, language change. Includes introduction to modern grammar (phonology, syntax, semantics) and to scientific linguistic methodology.
Attributes: Social Science (Discovery); Inquiry (Discovery)
Equivalent(s): ENGL 405H, ENGL 505, ENGL 505H, LING 405, LING 405H, LING 505, LING 505H
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 415C - Literature and Medicine
Credits: 4
Literary representations of medical practice are used to prompt discussion of broad issues concerning medical philosophy and medical ethics, the image of the medical professional in the media, differing conceptions of healing in various social contexts worldwide, and changes in biological science and medicine on the larger society. Ideal for students interested in: Health Care, Biomedical Sciences, Physical therapy, and Nutrition.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of B or ENGL 401H with a minimum grade of B.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 415A, ENGL 415B, ENGL 415E, ENGL 415F, ENGL 415G, ENGL 415J
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 419 - How to Read Anything
Credits: 4
Whether epic or tweet, song lyric or script, English 419 prepares you for close, detailed, and critical readings and for writing with clarity and precision. You’ll discover selected prose, poetry, plays and films from across the English-speaking world throughout history. Whatever your major, this course develops skills in research, writing, and critical thinking. Prerequisite (with minimum grade of C) for declaring one of the four majors or two options offered in the English Department.
Attributes: Inquiry (Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): ENGL 419H
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 440A - On Race in Culture and Society
Credits: 4
Of our special concern will be the claim that race is a culturally or socially, not biologically, constructed category. The reading list will include literary texts (Toni Morrison's "Recitatif"), works of African American comedians (Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, etc.), philosophical texts (Immanuel Kant, W.E.B. DuBois, K.A. Appiah, etc.) as well as some legal documents (recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions concerning affirmative action). We will also do two case studies, one on the name of Redskins and one the Whiteness Project. The general goal of the course is to improve the student's ability to speak and think critically about race and race relations in the U.S.
Attributes: Honors course; Humanities(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 440B - Honors/Seeing is Believing: How the Copernican Revolution Changed the Way We See Ourselves
Credits: 4
This course explores the various ways that scientists, philosophers, poets, novelists, and literary theorists have tried to reconcile what we see (or think we see) with what we know (or think we know), from the ancient past to the 21st century. Our special focus will be on how the Copernican Revolution prompted a wholesale reevaluation of perception and knowledge. We will explore how writers, artists musicians, and philosophers embraced or lamented the enormous cultural and psychological changes that the Copernican evolution helped to introduce. We also will investigate how these changes continue to shape our worldview in the 21st-century.
Attributes: Honors course; Humanities(Disc)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 444D - The Irish Experience
Credits: 4
Explores the historical causes and literary effects of emigration from Ireland to other regions in the North and South Atlantic. Considers the political and economic conditions of Ireland itself and asks how Irish identities are first formed dialectically through contact with indigenous others and then nostalgically constituted through the experience of migration.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Inquiry (Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 444N - Monsters!!!
Credits: 4
This course will introduce students to a number of critical thinking processes by examining one of the most symbolically significant human archetypes, Monsters. By engaging works of historical significance and popular texts, students will explore a familiar subject from historical, political, psychological, and literary points of view.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Inquiry (Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 501 - Introduction to Creative Nonfiction
Credits: 4
A writing course that explores types of creative nonfiction such as nature writing, the profile, the memoir, and the personal essay. Extensive reading of contemporary authors to study the sources and techniques used in creative nonfiction. Regular papers, conferences, and workshops.
Attributes: FinePerformingArts(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 401H with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 501H
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 502 - Professional and Technical Writing
Credits: 4
A writing course introducing students to the effective communication of technical information through various workplace documents including resumes, memos, business letters, reports, brochures, etc. Special emphasis on an introduction to professional conventions and genres and to the transferable skills of rhetorical and audience analysis, document design and collaborative work.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 401H with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 502H, ET 625
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 503 - Persuasive Writing
Credits: 4
Writing of all types of persuasive nonfiction prose, including argumentative essays and position papers. Special attention to argumentative structures and analysis of audiences. Weekly papers of varying lengths and formats, frequent conferences.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 401H with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 504 - Resume Writing
Credits: 2
Write your resume now! Readings from recruiters, scholars, and managers reveal what employers want in resumes and cover letters, and what they don't want. Topics include: understanding ATS (applicant tracking systems); analyzing purpose and audience; learning cutting-edge designs; writing detailed and efficient content; tailoring your resume to the job advertisement; writing persuasive cover letters; and formatting and editing tips. Students will identify two job advertisements and write a resume and letter for each.
Grade Mode: Credit/Fail Grading
ENGL 510 - Introduction to the Digital Humanities
Credits: 4
Digital methods can greatly intensify our understanding of literary works, non-fiction writing, film and many other modes of expression in the humanities. This course introduces students to the methods of thought, research and argumentation that digital technology makes possible. These may include identifying quantifiable language patterns, working with archival documents, mapping locations in written works, illuminating historical works, creating digital visualizations of texts, or working with translation tools and concordances.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 401H with a minimum grade of D-.
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #511 - Major Writers in English
Credits: 4
In-depth study and discussion of a few American and/or British writers. Topics and approaches vary depending on instructors. May be repeated for credit, barring duplication of topic.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 512 - British Literature I Age of Heroes: Beowulf to Dr. Faustus
Credits: 4
An introduction to the earliest poetry, prose and drama in English, considered in chronological order and in historical context. Examine important literary works as the old English epic Beowulf, Chaucer's entertaining collection Canterbury Tales, the Arthurian romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the devotional autobiography The Book of Margery Kempe, the sermon in dramatic form Everyman, Edmund's Spenser's chivalric saga The Faerie Queen and the sonnets of Philip Sidney and William Shakespeare.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 513W - British Literature II Age of Revolutions: Shakespeare to Austen
Credits: 4
The English literary tradition from the Renaissance to the early Romantics spans a period of great social tumult. It includes civil war, new ideas in science, theology, and politics, and expanding British power abroad. Amidst such change flourished reinvented classical genres like the epic, satire, and stage comedy, as well as new forms like the novel, the pamphlet and the newspaper. This class provides a brisk survey of the revolutionary literature of this fascinating age.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): ENG 513H, ENGL 513
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 514W - British Literature III: Revolts, Renewals, Migrations
Credits: 4
Encounter the Romantic fantasies of John Keats's nature poetry and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the Victorian novels that brought us Jane Eyre, Ebenezer Scrooge and Mr. Hyde, the experiments of Modernists like Virginia Woolf and James Joyce, and Postmodern transformations by a shifting cast of contemporaries. We'll read these works in the context of imperial expansion and contraction, the crises of world wars, and the civil rights and independence struggles of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): ENGL 514, ENGL 514H
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 516W - American Literature II Money, Migration, and Modernity: Huck Finn to Beloved
Credits: 4
Students will discuss novels, plays, poems, and essays that address the difficult issues of national rebuilding, the temptations of a new consumer culture, the devastations of numerous wars fought overseas, and encounters with European, Jewish, Latin American, and Asian immigrants. Whether comparing nineteenth-century Huckleberry Finn with twentieth-century Beloved or making sense of modern and postmodern literary playfulness, students will become thoughtful readers and writers.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): ENGL 516, ENGL 516H
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 518W - Bible as Literature
Credits: 4
Have you ever wanted to read the Bible to gain a better understanding of history, religion, and the arts? Do you want to be able to discuss current religious and political issues in a Biblically informed way? Or maybe you just want bragging rights. Approaching the Bible as a literary work, this course investigates the intense and complicated emotional relationship between God and humanity. For people of faith, some faith, or no faith.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): ENGL 518, ENGL 518H
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 520 - Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction
Credits: 4
What’s behind the explosion of the dystopian and post-apocalyptic subgenres in the past decade? How do these seer-like representations of the future revisit older narrative traditions? We will discover why these prophetic forms--straddling the realms of science, politics, literature, and psychology--are at the forefront of the popular imagination. Assignments include blog posts, an op-ed, an imitative style exercise, and participation in online group chats from which you have a wide selection of times.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #521 - Nature Writers
Credits: 4
Literary non-fiction writings by naturalists on natural environments. The course explores questions about what is "nature" or "natural" and why are they valued? What is sought, exploited, abused, known in "nature"? What does nature writing achieve or relieve? What might it teach us as writers and planetary citizens? Is nature or nature writing raced? Gendered? Gilbert White, Henry David Thoreau, Emerson, Muir, Carson, and a diversity of others.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): ENGL 521H
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 526 - Introduction to Fiction Writing
Credits: 4
Writing fiction asks us to say: who am I? What's happening in the world around me? Awakening to the story in your life, and thus to your own imagination, will change your life. Repeatedly, we see fiction writers find their power as creative people. You might become the head of a major corporation! You might just write a great novel or short story. Or just be happier. Join us: write stories, change your life.
Attributes: FinePerformingArts(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 401H with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 527 - Introduction to Poetry Writing
Credits: 4
Writing poetry is training for life - its practice deepens both the liveliness and rigor of the mind. This course is run in a workshop/discussion format - it uses innovative exercises, guided prompts, language games, and readings that teach the basics of craft, while showing you how to think like a writer, opening up to the pleasures and surprises of the creative process. No prior experience necessary.
Attributes: FinePerformingArts(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 401H with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 533 - Introduction to Film Studies
Credits: 4
A survey of the international development of the motion picture from the silent period to the present, emphasizing film's narrative practices. Introduces students to the study of the art, history, technology, economics, and theory of cinema. Films and film makers of various nations, periods, movements, and genres examined.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc)
Equivalent(s): ENGL 533H, ENGL 533W
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 534 - 21st Century Journalism: How the News Works
Credits: 4
This class explores ways new technology, including social media, has affected the practice of journalism, and examines journalism past and present. Students discuss libel law, ethics and how to define plagiarism in the digital age. This survey is meant not only to lay a foundation for prospective journalists, but also to provide a broad understanding of the news media for those interested in how the news works.
Attributes: Environment,TechSociety(Disc)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #549 - In the Groove: African American Music as Literature
Credits: 4
This is a music appreciation course that focuses on getting students into, behind, and under "the groove" of African American music and its intellectual traditions of black pride, power, and cultural expressivity. This course will contain a broad introduction to African American music origins but it will also consider the impact of cultural contexts such as slavery and Euro-American musical influences on African American culture. Students will gain new appreciation for the multi-faceted and wide-ranging ways in which African American music is performed how this music has helped unite one nation under its soulful groove.
Attributes: FinePerformingArts(Discovery)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 550 - Introduction to the Literature and Culture of Race
Credits: 4
This course introduces students to readings across the field of ethnic literature and culture in order to form their capacity to speak and think critically about race relations in America. Readings will include those in race theory, racial construction and authenticity, histories of raced subjects in America, the rise of ethnic studies, white ignorance and whiteness studies, the intersectionality of race with gender, sexual orientation, economic class, religion, and faith. Includes Asian American, African American, Native, and Latino/a literature.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Inquiry (Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 555 - Science Fiction
Credits: 4
This course examines stories, novels, and film from the popular genre of science fiction. A variety of literary critical approaches are deployed to discuss a number of key authors and texts from the nineteenth century to the present.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc)
Equivalent(s): ENGL 555H
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #560 - Introduction to Latinx Literature and Culture
Credits: 4
This course introduces students to the field of Latinx literature and culture in order to develop the ability to speak and think critically about race relations in the USA. Course readings will be drawn from texts produced primarily in English by individuals of Latin American descent. Readings may include immigration and borderlands discourse, art, music, television and film, histories of Latinx subjects in America, and the intersectionality of race with gender, sexual orientation, economic class and religion.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Inquiry (Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 565 - Literary Dublin: Short-Term Study Abroad
Credits: 4
In this short-term study abroad experience, students will gain an appreciation of Ireland's many challenges of self- and other identity related to its location, conquest, colonization, emigration, religions, and recent global immigration. Contemporary course selections reference people (including Irish Americans) and events brought to life on site in Dublin. The course includes UNH guest speakers from English, history, and anthropology; Dublin -based speakers when available. Offers Irish American students research into their genealogy. Students must have a 3.25 GPA and 32 credits.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
Special Fee: Yes
ENGL 575 - Sex and Sensibility: The Rise of Chick Lit
Credits: 4
This course examines the courtship novel, with an emphasis on female protagonists. How have various writers addressed the institution of marriage and long-term commitment, and the role finances play in partner choice? We'll start with the novels of Jane Austen and move to contemporary "chick lit", the latest incarnation of the romantic quest narrative, in order to understand this genre's continuing popularity. Assignments include blogs, online chats, research essays, and creative writing opportunities.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 581 - Reading the Postcolonial Experience
Credits: 4
Modern South Asia and Africa have been shaped by their history of colonization. What is it like to live in places once dominated by foreigners, then reshaped by nationalisms and various injustices intensified by globalization? In this course, we’ll read literary depictions that illuminate the lives, dreams, joys, hates, and failures of individuals and groups in these places, exploring both ordinary life and extraordinary experiences created by dispossession, political tyranny, civil war, and environmental trauma.
Attributes: World Cultures(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): ENGL 581H
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 585 - Introduction to Women in Literature
Credits: 4
The goal of this course is to examine women's roles in literary traditions, including women as authors and women as characters. We interrogate categories of sex, gender, and sexuality as they intersect with other categories of identity including race, class, and nation. Specific topics differ each semester according to the individual instructor. Recent semesters have included "Jewish Women Writers" and "Female Authors of the Mystery Novel". May be repeated for credit, barring duplication of topic.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 585H, ENGL #585R
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #585R - Introduction to Women in Literature
Credits: 4
The goal of this course is to examine women's roles in literary traditions, including women as authors and women as characters. We interrogate categories of sex, gender, and sexuality as they intersect with other categories of identity including race, class, and nation. Specific topics differ each semester according to the individual instructor. Recent semesters have included "Jewish Women Writers" and "Female Authors of the Mystery Novel". May be repeated for credit, barring duplication of topic.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 585
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 595 - Literary Topics
Credits: 4
Investigate in depth a literary topic of particular interest, in a course specially designed for both majors and non-majors. Themes vary from semester to semester--recent topics include the contemporary short story, Irish literature, animals in literature, and the literature of the Vietnam War. See the English Department for details of current offerings. May be repeated for credit, barring duplication of topic.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 595H, ENGL 595W
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #600 - English for International Students
Credits: 1-4
Designed for international students to provide additional support in course work. Students continue to develop skills in listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing in English. No letter grades. Credits received for this course can help satisfy the requirements for student visa, but they will normally not count towards a graduate degree. Students are encouraged to check with their individual academic advisors.
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 4 credits.
Grade Mode: Graduate Credit/Fail grading
ENGL 602 - Advanced Professional and Technical Writing
Credits: 4
An advanced writing course focusing on writing in a global and technological workplace. In addition to fluency in the documents of the workplace, students focus on visual rhetoric in a technological environment through web design and usability while studying the issues of globalism, ethics, and the environment that affect all professional writing today. May be repeated with approval of instructor.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 605 - Intermediate Linguistic Analysis
Credits: 4
Introduces analysis methods and problem solving in phonology, morphology, and syntax using data from many languages. Emphasis will be both practical (learning how to describe the grammar and sound system of a language) and theoretical (understanding languages' behavior).
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 405 with a minimum grade of D- or LING 405 with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): LING 605
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 606 - Languages of the World
Credits: 4
A survey of the languages of the world from genetic, areal, and typological perspectives. Students learn about the geographic and demographic distribution of language families and language isolates, as well as about structural characteristics of languages, language families and language areas. Additional topics include language endangerment and the question of linguistic universals. Students work collaboratively on a project investigating a particular language family, giving in class presentations and writing up a final project report. Some prior knowledge of phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax is necessary.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 605 with a minimum grade of D- or LING 605 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 405 with a minimum grade of D- or LING 405 with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): LING 606
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #609 - Ethnicity in America: The African American Experience in the 20th Century
Credits: 4
Investigation of the music, literature, and social history of African American America in the period of the Harlem Renaissance, in the Great Depression, World War II, and in the 1960s. Special attention to the theme of accommodation with and rejection of dominant white culture.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): AMST 609, HUMA 609
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 616A - Studies in Film/Genre
Credits: 4
Advanced, focused study of the narrative, dramatic, and poetic practices of cinema, within one of four possible subject areas: A) Genre; B) Authorship; C) Culture and Ideology; D) Narrative and Style. Precise issues and methods may vary, ranging from general and specific considerations of how a given subject area involves film theory, criticism, and history, to its use in diverse analyses of selected national cinemas, periods, movements, and filmmakers. May be repeated for credit barring duplication of topic. Barring duplication of material taken for credit in CMN 650, course may be repeated for credit. Detailed course descriptions available in the English department office.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to unlimited times.
Equivalent(s): AMST 605, ENGL 616
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 616B - Studies in Film/Authorship
Credits: 4
Advanced, focused study of the narrative, dramatic, and poetic practices of cinema, within one of four possible subject areas: A) Genre; B) Authorship; C) Culture and Ideology; D) Narrative and Style. Precise issues and methods may vary, ranging from general and specific considerations of how a given subject area involves film theory, criticism, and history, to its use in diverse analyses of selected national cinemas, periods, movements, and filmmakers. May be repeated for credit barring duplication of topic. Barring duplication of material taken for credit in CMN 650, course may be repeated for credit. Detailed course descriptions available in the English department office.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to unlimited times.
Equivalent(s): AMST 605, ENGL 616
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 616C - Studies in Film/Culture and Ideology
Credits: 4
Advanced, focused study of the narrative, dramatic, and poetic practices of cinema, within one of four possible subject areas: A) Genre; B) Authorship; C) Culture and Ideology; D) Narrative and Style. Precise issues and methods may vary, ranging from general and specific considerations of how a given subject area involves film theory, criticism, and history, to its use in diverse analyses of selected national cinemas, periods, movements, and filmmakers. May be repeated for credit barring duplication of topic. Barring duplication of material taken for credit in CMN 650, course may be repeated for credit. Detailed course descriptions available in the English department office.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to unlimited times.
Equivalent(s): AMST 605, ENGL 616
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 616D - Studies in Film/Narrative and Style
Credits: 4
Advanced, focused study of the narrative, dramatic, and poetic practices of cinema, within one of four possible subject areas: A) Genre; B) Authorship; C) Culture and Ideology; D) Narrative and Style. Precise issues and methods may vary, ranging from general and specific considerations of how a given subject area involves film theory, criticism, and history, to its use in diverse analyses of selected national cinemas, periods, movements, and filmmakers. May be repeated for credit barring duplication of topic. Barring duplication of material taken for credit in CMN 650, course may be repeated for credit. Detailed course descriptions available in the English department office.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to unlimited times.
Equivalent(s): AMST 605, ENGL 616
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 618 - Film Theory
Credits: 4
Examines basic theories of film and their relationship to the practice of close analysis of film. Theories are meant to provide students with a vocabulary for critical analysis and stress the many ways of seeing film.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #620 - English Major Internship
Credits: 1-4
Open to all English majors. Internships allow students to use skills learned in the major in a supervised work setting. In addition to the job experience, the English major internship requires research and writing assignments overseen by a faculty sponsor. These supplementary assignments must be outlined in a written proposal describing the work involved in the internship and how it relates to the student's academic training. Registration requires permission from the employer, faculty sponsor, major advisor, and department chairperson. The employer must be an established organization approved by Career Services. This course does not count toward the English major or substitute for English 720, the Journalism Internship.
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Credit/Fail Grading
ENGL 621 - Newswriting
Credits: 4
Students get a strong journalistic foundation with hands-on experience reporting and writing compelling news stories for print and digital platforms. Skills taught include finding news stories and tracking down sources; conducting interviews and verifying facts; and drafting and revising stories. ENGL 621 may be taken more than once for credit with the approval of the Journalism Program Director. Students must fill out a Permission to Repeat an English Course For Credit form, available in the department office.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): (ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 401H with a minimum grade of D-) and ENGL 534 with a minimum grade of D-.
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 623 - Creative Nonfiction
Credits: 4
Intensive writing course emphasizing the blend of basic elements that constitute creative nonfiction: research, observation, and personal experience. Also readings and discussion of some of the best published creative nonfiction. Students must fill out a Permission to Repeat an English Course For Credit form, available in the department office.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 625 - Intermediate Fiction Writing Workshop
Credits: 4
Students continue to explore the aspects of fiction writing. Through short exercises students learn to create visual scenes, integrate exposition with dramatic scene, and construct convincing characters in believable situations. We'll continue to explore the basic elements of what makes a short story, such as point of view, dialogue, dramatization, voice, meaning, language. Students write short stories and significantly revise them. Through discussion of student writing in a workshop format, as well as reading and responding to short stories by published authors, we'll address the questions: What is a short story? How do we create a world in which the reader is fully involved? Where does the story evoke emotion or meaning? ENGL 625 may be taken more than once for credit, recommended with two different instructors. Students must fill out a Permission to Repeat an English Course For Credit form, available in the department office.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 625A - Intermediate Fiction Writing Workshop: Screenwriting
Credits: 4
In this course, intermediate creative writers will learn the craft of writing scripts for film and television. Students will continue to explore the elements of effective storytelling by writing and significantly revising loglines, outlines, and complete short screenplays. The course will combine in-depth analysis of classic and contemporary screenplays (including shorts, teleplays, and feature-length films) with lectures, writing exercises, and peer workshops. Topics will include dramatic structure, professional formatting and planning, and how to develop vividly compelling characters, scenes, conflict and dialogue. The aim of the course will not be to simply reinforce existing narrative principles but rather to test the validity of existing conventions. Throughout we will address the questions: What makes a story relevant, moving, thrilling, or meaningful? Why does this story need to be told visually? What makes a great script great? ENGL 625A may be taken more than once for credit, recommended with two different instructors. Students must fill out a Permission to Repeat an English Course For Credit form, available in the department office.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 501 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 526 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 527 with a minimum grade of D-.
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 627 - Intermediate Poetry Writing Workshop
Credits: 4
Workshop discussion of poems written by students, with focus on more complex techniques and forms. Individual conferences with instructor. ENGL 627 may be taken more than once for credit, recommended with two different instructors. Students must fill out a Permission to Repeat an English Course For Credit form, available in the department office.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 631 - Digital Reporting
Credits: 4
This course immerses students in the digital news landscape and teaches them to report across multiple platforms. Students learn reporting tools and strategies for producing dynamic digital journalism.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 621 with a minimum grade of B.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 531
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #636 - Literature and the Environment
Credits: 4
How do writers represent the environment? What’s at stake in those depictions? Includes both literary and critical readings.Topics may vary and engage different historical periods: women and environmental justice, the urban environment, postcolonial environmental writers. Interdisciplinary perspectives (drawn from history, geography, visual arts, media studies, etc.) may inform the discussion of the readings. May be repeated for credit, barring duplication of topic.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #650 - I Hear America Singing: Studying American Literature and Culture
Credits: 4
Examine unique themes, theories, and works of art in American Studies that are not offered on a regular basis. This course explores the intersection of literature and medicine; as well as comics and graphic narrative; music and social protest, photography and nonfiction; the literature of Stonewall. Learn how to approach the proposed subject, its specialized vocabulary, history and politics in its pages, and its value for the contemporary moment. May be repeated for credit, barring duplication of topic.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Equivalent(s): AMST 603, ENGL 650R
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 650R - I Hear America Singing: Studying American Literature and Culture
Credits: 4
Examine unique themes, theories, and works of art in American Studies that are not offered on a regular basis. This course explores the intersection of literature and medicine; as well as comics and graphic narrative; music and social protest, photography and nonfiction; the literature of Stonewall. Learn how to approach the proposed subject, its specialized vocabulary, history and politics in its pages, and its value for the contemporary moment. May be repeated for credit, barring duplication of topic.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Equivalent(s): AMST 603, ENGL #650
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 655 - Reading in all Directions: Comics and Graphic Narrative
Credits: 4
"Reading happens in all directions," says Hilary Chute about the study of comics and graphic narrative. In this course, students will learn to read images and texts from all directions: up, down, horizontally, vertically, across panels and jacket flaps, in seriality and on the internet. Comics' ability to represent both trauma and the trivial takes students from newspaper funnies to the Holocaust, from superheroes in mid-century floppies to Underground comix and current autobiographical comics, comics journalism, comics history, and fiction.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 657 - Shakespeare
Credits: 4
An introduction to the main periods of Shakespeare's playwriting career, addressing representative works from each of the genres in which he wrote (tragedy, comedy, history, romance). We will discuss such matters as a Renaissance theater architecture and performance conventions, Shakespeare's poetic language, the representation of women, commoners and minorities on stage, royal power and court politics, love, sex, religion, and revenge. Live and filmed performances will be included as available.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 401H with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 657H
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #681 - Contemporary African Literature
Credits: 4
What was the first African novel in English? Should African writers write in the language of erstwhile colonizers? What is literature's function in corrupt autocracies? What was theatre like under aparthied? Who are the New South Africa’s major writers? We’ll explore answers to these and many other questions. Marked by colonial history and cultural exchanges between Africans, Arabs, Europeans and Asians, postcolonial African literature will challenge your understanding of Africa and of literature itself.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #690 - African American Literature
Credits: 4
Whether in poetry and prose, or fiction and nonfiction, what issues have occupied African American writers and readers? What joy do these writers and readers derive from the written word and oral tradition? Motivated by these questions, this class traces the origins of an African American literary tradition in British North American; charts the circulation of ideas about democracy and citizenship in the nineteenth-century United States; and maps ongoing debates about race and representation today.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 693 - Special Topics in Literature
Credits: 4
A) Old English Literature, B) Medieval Literature, C) 16th Century, D) 17th Century, E) 18th Century, F) English Romantic Period, G) Victorian Period, H) 20th Century, I) Drama, J) Novel, K) Poetry, L) Nonfiction, M) American Literature, N) A Literary Problem, O) Literature of the Renaissance, R) Race and Racial Theories. The precise topics and methods of each section vary. Barring duplication of subject, course may be repeated for credit. For details, see course descriptions available in the English department. (Not offered every year.) Special fee on some topics.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to 2 times.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
Special Fee: Yes
ENGL 693R - Special Topics in Literature
Credits: 4
A) Old English Literature, B) Medieval Literature, C) 16th Century, D) 17th Century, E) 18th Century, F) English Romantic Period, G) Victorian Period, H) 20th Century, I) Drama, J) Novel, K) Poetry, L) Nonfiction, M) American Literature, N) A Literary Problem, O) Literature of the Renaissance, R) Race and Racial Theories. The precise topics and methods of each section vary. Barring duplication of subject, course may be repeated for credit. For details, see course descriptions available in the English department. (Not offered every year). Special fee on some topics.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 693
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
Special Fee: Yes
ENGL 694 - Special Topics in Creative Writing
Credits: 4
Courses offered under this number feature a variety of topics having to do with creative writing. Barring duplication of subject, course may be repeated for credit. For details, see the course descriptions available in the English Department.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 701 - Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop
Credits: 4
Students come to this course with a firm grasp of all the elements of fiction, ready to write short stories that construct convincing characters in believable situations. In a workshop format, students give and receive critiques on classmates' work. Significant revisions of short stories and thorough discussions of work by published authors will round out the course as students continue to explore the art of writing the short story. Students are responsible for leading discussion of published stories. ENGL 701 may be taken more than once for credit, recommended with two different instructors.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 703T - Travel Writing
Credits: 4
A workshop devoted to reading and writing and writing narratives of place. Travel writing requires the author to research and reflect, exploring both the external--the place--and the internal--the author's experience. Students write multiple travel pieces and read widely essays of place by writers such as John Steinbeck, Joan Didion, Pico Iyer and Eliza Griswold.
Co-requisite: INCO 589
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 501 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 621 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 623 with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 703
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
Special Fee: Yes
ENGL 710 - Teaching Writing
Credits: 4
This course will introduce you both to the theories and practices of teaching writing in middle and high school at a time of increased accountability. The course is designed for students who are interested in exploring teaching as a possible career. In the course we will try out varied literacy activities and study teaching writing using a process approach. We discuss different approaches to planning instruction and various forms of writing assessment, including state-wide tests.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 711 - Editing
Credits: 4
Survey of newspaper and news website editing, covering topics ranging from grammar and style to headline writing to ethics.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 621 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 712 - Multimedia Storytelling
Credits: 4
In this course, students explore the theory and practice of visual storytelling -- including composition, lighting, editing and more -- to produce short yet vibrant journalistic video documentaries. Students learn to shoot and edit audio and video. They explore narrative techniques and structure. They broaden their reportorial range, bringing visual sensitivity to storytelling.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 621 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 714 - Critical Skills
Credits: 4
This course provides training in critical analysis of various texts (literature, film, and media). Criticism is often applied to the hot-button issues of the day. We ask questions like: How does gender shape the way we read? How to interpret texts in a globalized world? Does the truth matter? This course satisfies a post-1800 literature requirement for English Department majors; may be taken for elective credit by English Teaching Majors.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 419 with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 617
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 715 - Teaching English as a Second Language: Theory and Methods
Credits: 4
A course on the linguistic, psychological, and sociological theories that inform our understanding of language acquisition and current best practices in the teaching of ESOL. Provides an overview of first and second language acquisition, bilingualism, learner individual differences (e.g., age, motivation, aptitude, learning strategies), and sociocultural contexts of ESL teaching and learning.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 716 - Curriculum, Materials and Assessment in English as a Second Language
Credits: 4
A hands-on approach to developing curriculum and course material for teaching English as a Second Language. Students work on lesson plan development (needs analysis, objective writing, task sequencing, assessment of proficiency and objective), conduct ESL classroom observations, and engage in teaching demonstrations.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 717 - Languages in Contact
Credits: 4
This course will explore topics related to languages in contact, including borrowing, code-switching, second language acquisition, bilingual mixed languages, language shift and maintenance, pidgins and creoles, and the linguistic and social factors which play a role in language contact.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 405 with a minimum grade of D- or LING 405 with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): LING #717
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
View Course Learning Outcomes
- Students will develop expertise in a particular aspect of contact variety (e.g., pidgins, creoles, and bilingual mixed languages) as well as varieties for which contact played a strong role in their history and/or formation (e.g., Yiddish, the "New Englishes" of India and Singapore, African American English, Chicano English, Turkish German, Multicultural London English).
- Students will be able to effectively summarize, analyze, and critically read primary research articles on language contact varieties.
- Students will be able to effectively report on the social contexts of language contact situations and the linguistic features of the variety in question through oral presentations and research writing.
ENGL 718 - Morphology
Credits: 4
Morphology is the study of word formation and the mental lexicon. This course explores processes of derivation, compounding and inflection that allow us to form new words. Students will become proficient in analyzing word formation processes in English and other languages, including deploying terminology used by morphologists. Students will learn and practice the conventions of "writing like a linguist".
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 405 with a minimum grade of D- or LING 405 with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): LING 718
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 719 - Sociolinguistics Survey
Credits: 4
How language varies according to the characteristics of its speakers: age, sex, ethnicity, attitude, time, and class. Quantitative analysis methods; relationship to theoretical linguistics. Focus is on English, but some other languages are examined.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 405 with a minimum grade of D- or LING 405 with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): LING 719
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 720 - Journalism Internship
Credits: 1-16
Students intending to pursue careers in journalism spend a semester working full or part time, reporting and writing, editing or producing content for a news organization.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 621 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 721 - Advanced Reporting
Credits: 4
While the theme of this course is teaching students advanced techniques of writing and reporting, each semester the course is offered it focuses on different areas of journalism. One semester, students may learn multimedia reporting - storytelling across multiple platforms, including video and audio - and in other semesters the course may focus on sportswriting. Yet in others, students will develop their news reporting skills. The course may be taken multiple times for credit with the approval of the Journalism Program Director.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 621 with a minimum grade of D-.
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 722 - Feature Writing
Credits: 4
An intermediate workshop that asks students to report in greater depth and experiment with different storytelling methods.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 621 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 725 - Teaching Writing: Seminar in English Teaching
Credits: 4
In this course, students will learn to be effective teachers of writing and composition. Students will work to develop their own approaches to literacy instruction by examining and comparing philosophies of English teaching and learning. Students will discuss theoretical, pedagogical, and practical ideas for teaching writing; engage in writing and composition exercises; produce and practice instructional activities and assessments; and evaluate teaching approaches. Together, the secondary school English methods courses (ENGL 725/ENGL 810S and ENGL 726/ENGL 892S) integrate knowledge about the teaching of reading, writing/composing, speaking, listening, and viewing.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
View Course Learning Outcomes
- Identify the skills that students need to know how to do to complete a given task.
- Design activities, lessons, and units to meet established reading and writing standards/objectives.
- Design reading and writing activities to explicate, analyze, narrate, describe and evaluate.
- Develop teaching ideas, connecting them to pedagogical arguments and academic conventions.
- Identify teaching resources among mentors, professional literature, conferences, organizations (e.g., National Council of Teachers of English), technology, and websites.
- Evaluate professional literature (e.g. primary/secondary sources, teaching methods articles).
- Adapt materials for a variety of students' needs.\\n
- Participate actively in class by listening, thinking, and responding thoughtfully to classmates.
ENGL 725L - Seminar in English Teaching: Lab
Credits: 2
Classroom and research lab experiences give English Teaching majors enrolled in the Seminar in English Teaching opportunities to put their pedagogical and theoretical readings into practice and grow as teachers. This Lab should be taken simultaneously with ENGL 725. Students must have JR or SR status at the start of the course. Permission of instructor required.
Co-requisite: ENGL 725
Grade Mode: Credit/Fail Grading
ENGL 726 - Teaching Literature and Literacy: Seminar in English Teaching
Credits: 4
In this course, students will learn to be effective teachers of literacy and literature. Students will work to develop their own approaches to literacy instruction by examining and comparing philosophies of English teaching and learning. Students will discuss theoretical, pedagogical, and practical ideas for teaching literature and literacy; engage in writing and composition exercises; produce and practice instructional activities and assessments; and evaluate teaching approaches. Together, the secondary school English methods courses (ENG 725/ENGL 810S and ENGL 726/ENGL 892S) integrate knowledge about the teaching of reading, writing/composing, speaking, listening, and viewing.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
View Course Learning Outcomes
- Identify the skills that students need to know or learn how to complete a given task.
- Develop student learning goals/objectives; design activity, lesson, and unit plans to meet established reading and writing standards; and assess/revise those plans as you teach.
- Design reading and writing activities to explicate, analyze, narrate, describe and evaluate.
- Develop teaching ideas, connecting them to pedagogical arguments and academic conventions.
- Identify and evaluate teaching resources among mentors, professional literature/articles, conferences, organizations (e.g., National Council of Teachers of English), technology, and websites.
- Adapt materials for a variety of students' needs.\\n
- Participate actively in class by listening, thinking, and responding thoughtfully to classmates.
ENGL 726L - Sem in English Teaching: Lab
Credits: 2
Classroom and research lab experiences give English Teaching majors enrolled in the Seminar in English Teaching opportunities to put their pedagogical and theoretical readings into practice and grow as teachers. This lab should be taken simultaneously with ENGL 726. Students must have JR or SR status at the start of the course. Permission of instructor required.
Co-requisite: ENGL 726
Grade Mode: Credit/Fail Grading
ENGL 727 - Issues in Second Language and Multilingual Writing
Credits: 4
Study of various issues in second language and multilingual writing theory, research, instruction and administration. Topics include the characteristics and needs of multilingual writers, multilingual writing processes, contrastive rhetoric, grammar instruction, teacher and peer feedback, assessment, course design and placement. Writing intensive.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
View Course Learning Outcomes
- Students will be able to identify and describe the characteristics of multilingual writers.
- Students will be able to explain the similarities and differences between L1 and L2 writing.
- Students will develop an informed position on how L2 writing instructors can develop or modify courses, writing instruction, and writing programs to make them more inclusive of multilingual writers.
- Students will explain how to develop equitable and effective assessment practices for multilingual writers.
ENGL 728 - Language and Gender
Credits: 4
This course will explore a variety of topics around the theme of language and gender, including the relationship between gender, language and power; the linguistic marking of gender; how people use language to construct and perform their gender; how gender intersects with other facets of identity, including sexuality and race and ethnicity.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 405 with a minimum grade of D- or LING 405 with a minimum grade of D- or WS 401 with a minimum grade of D- or WS 405 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #729 - Special Topics in Composition Studies
Credits: 4
Advanced course on a topic chosen by the instructor. Precise topics and methods of each section vary. Possible topics include alternative discourses and rhetorics, contrastive rhetoric, electronic discourse and digital rhetoric, women's rhetorics and feminist pedagogies, Montaigne and the essay tradition, theories of literacy, theories of persuasive writing, theories of transactional writing, and written discourse analysis. Barring duplication of subject, may be repeated for credit. For details see descriptions available in the English Department. Writing intensive when topic is studies in rhetoric and composition.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #735 - Entrepreneurial Journalism
Credits: 4
This course teaches journalism students to think like business people so they can compete in the exploding world of online publishing. Students work on ways to monetize good journalism practices by studying opportunities available and applying what they learn to a publishing project. Those who prefer print will find the course valuable as they learn to balance business objectives with quality journalism.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 621 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 736 - Environmental Theory
Credits: 4
Theoretical approaches to nature writing. Topics vary but may include eco-memoirs, environmental rhetoric, native peoples and the land, land and national identity, animals in literature, and environmental activist non-fiction. May be repeated for credit if topic differs.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 738 - Asian American Studies
Credits: 4
Are you captivated by the stories, histories and experiences of Asian Americans? Do you want to learn about their cultures, struggles, and accomplishments? This course examines the variety and complexity of Asian Americans through literature, poetry, film, essays, photography, music, and web-based presences. Specific course topics, as arranged by the instructor, include the Japanese American internment, the literature of popular culture of the Vietnam War, Asian American graphic narratives, transnational adoption, and food and culture.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 401H with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #739 - American Indian Literature
Credits: 4
Close study of traditional and/or contemporary American Indian literature and folklore with historical and cultural background.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 742 - American Literature, 1815-1865
Credits: 4
Antebellum writers tried to shape the nation through their texts, as they expressed the struggles over power and identity that led to the Civil War--and that continue to define U.S. discourses today. We encounter the genres--novels, oratory, poetry, appeals, slave narratives, essays, and nature writing--that authors used to grapple with slavery, social reform, environmental transformation, and aesthetics. Writers may include William Apess (Pequot), Margaret Fuller, Edgar Allan Poe, Frederick Douglass, and Emily Dickinson.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 401H with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #743R - American Literature, 1865-1915: The Birth of the American Empire
Credits: 4
The term millionaire; battles over citizenship; advocating for anarchism; mail order stores; yellow journalism; scientific revolutions; radical new art forms; war abroad and protests at home--and the invention of both the ice-cream cone and intercollegiate athletics: how did writers respond to and shape this tumultuous period in American history? Fiction, nonfiction, poetry; both individual works and historical and critical background.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 743
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #749R - Major American Authors
Credits: 4
How does a writer come to embody a particular moment? This course answers the question by focusing on an individual or community of writers: their work to be sure, but also their biographies; the historical context for the work; the cultural moment in which they participated; and the innovations they brought to their craft. May be repeated for credit, barring duplication of topic.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D-.
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 749
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 751 - Medieval Romance
Credits: 4
This course provides an overview of one of the most unique genres of medieval literature: the romantic epic. From brave knights and marvelous wizards to cunning queens and hungry dragons, the literature of this class gives a fascinating introduction to the imaginative potential of the medieval world. This course also emphasizes how entertainment overlapped with ethical crisis, as romance reinforces social norms of gender and sex, race and religion.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 752 - History of the English Language
Credits: 4
Evolution of English from the Anglo-Saxon period to the present day. Relations between linguistic change and literary style. (Not offered every year.)
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #753 - Old English
Credits: 4
Introduction to Old English language and literature through the reading of selected poetry and prose.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 756 - Chaucer
Credits: 4
Geoffrey Chaucer is one of the most famous poets in the English language - but why? This course offers students and overview of Chaucer's poetry, spending particular time on his masterpiece, "The Canterbury Tales". Sometimes tragic, sometimes bawdy, and almost always humorous, Chaucer’s poetry offers a glimpse of a world long-lost, while simultaneously forcing us to ask hard questions about justice, love, and the nature of human creation.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 758 - Advanced Shakespeare
Credits: 4
This course offers an in-depth look at a few Shakespeare plays, which you’ll study intensively through the lens of a single topic. Topics vary from semester to semester. Recent examples include Shakespeare on Screen, Shakespeare and Race, Shakespeare’s History Plays, Unknown Shakespeare, and Shakespearean Tragedy. Live and filmed performances will be included as available.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 401H with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
Special Fee: Yes
ENGL #758R - Advanced Shakespeare
Credits: 4
This course offers an in-depth look at a few Shakespeare plays, which you'll study intensively through the lens of a single topic. Topics vary from semester to semester. Recent examples include Shakespeare on Screen, Shakespeare and Race, Shakespeare's History Plays, Unknown Shakespeare, and Shakespearean Tragedy. Live and filmed performances will be included as available.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 758
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 759 - Milton
Credits: 4
Readings include a wide selection of Milton's poetry and prose with a special focus on "Paradise Lost". Milton’s writings contain arguments regarding free will, tyranny, and slavery that inform modern conceptions of civil liberty, republican government, and free speech. In the US Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and other early framers credit "Paradise Lost" as having shaped their ideas of religious and civil liberty in a democratic republic.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 401H with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #773 - Literary Modernisms: Return, Revolt, Recycle
Credits: 4
This course focuses on modernist writers such as T.S. Eliot, who sought to revitalize modern culture by looking backward to the past; Virginia Woolf, who experimented with the form of the novel; and performance artist Kabe Wilson, who recycles texts of high modernism. We explore modernist literature in its geopolitical contexts with special attention to imperial expansion and contraction, the rise of fascism, world wars, and struggles for suffrage, and national belonging.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #774R - Modern & Contemporary British Literature: New Departures
Credits: 4
This course celebrates the growing diversity of British literature over the past half century. These years witnessed the final breakup of the British empire, a civil war in Northern Ireland, the rise of Scottish nationalism, and an influx of immigrants from former colonies worldwide. Beginning with the "little Englander" attitudes of the postwar era, we will explore the emergence of postmodern and postcolonial Britain in fiction, graphic narrative, poetry, drama, film and performance.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 774
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 775 - Modern Irish Literature: A Changing Landscape
Credits: 4
In this course we will explore Irish literature and culture from the Celtic Renaissance in the early twentieth century to the Celtic Tiger of the early twenty-first. Readings will trace Ireland's transformation from an inward-looking agricultural nation to one of the most globalized countries in the world. Recurring themes will include the status of the Church, changing gender roles, sectarian conflict, and Ireland's relation to the world.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 778 - Race and Gender in Film and Popular Culture
Credits: 4
This course explores representations of race and gender in American cinema and popular culture and features weekly readings in contemporary race and gender theories. Topics include the black women's gaze; woman as object; the action hero and hyper-masculinity; hybridity; race/ethnicity and hypersexuality; the crisis of white masculinity; white privilege; sexual orientation; transsexual and transgender performance. This course is reading and Canvas intensive, requiring weekly writing assignments and papers.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 779 - Linguistic Field Methods
Credits: 4
Study of a non-Indo-European language by eliciting examples from an informant, rather than from written descriptions of the language. Students learn how to figure out the grammar of a language from raw data. (Not offered every semester).
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 405 with a minimum grade of D- or LING 405 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 605 with a minimum grade of D- or LING 605 with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): LING 779
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #780 - Drama of Shakespeare's Contemporaries: Will and Company
Credits: 4
Who were Shakespeare's contemporaries in the London theater, his models and mentors, his competitors, compatriots and rivals? Read the plays of those who inspired, fought with, befriended, and followed Shakespeare in one of the great eras of English literature. We'll discuss the development of revenge tragedy, histories and comedy, new styles of acting and theater buildings, presentations of court intrigue, the representation of women and "others", and the changing mores of early London.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 782 - Modern and Contemporary Drama
Credits: 4
An overview of the best writing for the modern stage. We'll survey developments in theater in the past 100 years, sampling such genres as absurdist drama, psychological gothic, "in yer face" theatre, theater that incorporates new media, and work by women, African-American, Latinx, gay and immigrant writers. We'll discuss the changing role of theater in society, identity politics onstage and off, and shock, sex and violence as dramatic techniques. Live and filmed performances as available.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 784 - English Novel of the 19th Century
Credits: 4
The highly popular novels of nineteenth-century Britain produced such memorable characters as Sherlock Holmes, Count Dracula, Alice in Wonderland, Frankenstein's monster, and Dr. Jekyll. The novel’s literary engagements with science, love, and the city are entangled with cultural discourses on animals, monstrosity, supernaturalism, degeneration, empire, race, and crime. In this course, students will sample a set of novels that exemplify the distinct generic and thematic innovations of the period.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 401 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 787 - English Major Seminar
Credits: 4
This Capstone course offers you an opportunity to study a specialized topic in depth in a seminar format. Enrollment is limited to 15 so that you can take active part in discussion and work closely with the instructor on a research project. Topics vary from semester to semester. Recent topics include Tragedy, Comedy, American Women Poets, Medicine in Literature, and Feminist Print Culture. May be repeated for credit, barring duplication of topic. For details see semester specific course descriptions available in the English Department.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 419 with a minimum grade of B.
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Equivalent(s): ENGL #787R
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL #787R - English Major Seminar
Credits: 4
This Capstone course offers you an opportunity to study a specialized topic in depth in a seminar format. Enrollment is limited to 15 so that you can take active part in discussion and work closely with the instructor on a research project. Topics vary from semester to semester. Recent topics include Tragedy, Comedy, American Women Poets, Medicine in Literature, and Feminist Print Culture. May be repeated for credit, barring duplication of topic. For details see semester specific course descriptions available in the English Department.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 419 with a minimum grade of B.
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 787
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 788 - Senior Honors
Credits: 4
Open to senior English majors who, in the opinion of the department, have demonstrated the capacity to do superior work. An honors project consists of supervised research leading to a substantial thesis or writing of poetry or fiction portfolio. Required of students in the honors in major program. (Not offered every year.)
Attributes: Honors course; Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 789 - Special Topics in English Teaching
Credits: 4
Advanced theories and practices course on English Teaching. Topics such as A) Teaching Young Adult Literature, C) Teaching English in Diverse Contexts, D) Teaching Drama, N) Teaching Nonfiction, R) English Teachers as Researchers, and T) Alternate Literacies and Teaching Technologies. Barring duplication of subject, course may be repeated for credit. For details see course descriptions available in the English department.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 790 - Special Topics in Linguistics
Credits: 4
Advanced course on a topic chosen by the instructor. Inquire at the English department office for a full course description each time the course is offered. Topics such as word formation, dialectology, linguistic theory and language acquisition, history of linguistics, language and culture, cross-disciplinary studies relating to linguistics. Barring duplication of subject, may be repeated for credit.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to unlimited times.
Equivalent(s): LING 790
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 791 - English Grammar
Credits: 4
An introduction to the terminology and major concepts in English grammar. Covers descriptive vs. prescriptive grammar, parts of speech, phrase structure, clause types, and basic sentence patterns. Useful for pre-service teachers seeking to acquire the background knowledge needed to make informed decisions about teaching of English grammar.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 792 - Teaching Literature and Literacy
Credits: 4
This course introduces theories and practices of teaching literature and literacy, including teaching reading and writing as well as teaching literary analysis at the secondary level. Students also learn to plan lessons, choose texts, and create learning activities for speaking, listening, and viewing in grade five through twelve. The course is designed for students who are interested in teaching as a possible career.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 793 - Phonetics and Phonology
Credits: 4
The sound system of English and other languages as viewed from the standpoint of modern linguistic theory, including the following topics: the acoustic and articulatory properties of speech sounds, the phonemic repertories of particular languages, phonological derivations, and prosodic phenomena such as stress and intonation.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 405 with a minimum grade of D- or LING 405 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 605 with a minimum grade of D- or LING 605 with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): LING 793
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 794 - Syntax
Credits: 4
Relationship of grammar and meaning as viewed from the standpoint of modern linguistic theory. Emphasizes the syntax and semantics of English, with special attention to the construction of arguments for or against particular analyses.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 405 with a minimum grade of D- or LING 405 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 605 with a minimum grade of D- or LING 605 with a minimum grade of D-.
Equivalent(s): LING 794
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 795 - Independent Study
Credits: 1-4
Open to highly qualified juniors and seniors. To be elected only with permission of the department chairperson and of the supervising faculty member or members. Barring duplication of subject, may be repeated.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 796 - The Internship Experience
Credits: 4
Students work with their peers to establish a personal definition of professionalism in their respective fields; they will read, critically analyze, and discuss articles covering a wide variety of topics, including writing at work, intended audiences, navigating a difficult work environment or situation, and strategies for professional development. Class sessions in a discussion format, intended to be flexible and to directly support the changing needs of writing in the workplace. Students, along with their supervisors, will create their own learning objectives and evaluation tools. Students will write about their experiences at the end of term. Minimum GPA 3.0 required for registration.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 419 with a minimum grade of D- and (ENGL 502 with a minimum grade of D- or ENGL 602 with a minimum grade of D-).
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 695
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 797 - Special Studies in Literature
Credits: 4
A) Old English Literature, B) Medieval Literature, C) 16th Century, D) 17th Century, E) 18th Century, f) English Romantic Period, G) Victorian Period, H) 20th Century, I) Drama, J) Novel, K) Poetry, L) Non-fiction, M) American Literature, N) A Literary Problem, O) Literature of the Renaissance, R) Race and Racial Theories. The precise topics and methods of each section vary. Barring duplication of subject, may be repeated for credit. For details, see the course descriptions available in the English department.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ENGL 797R - Special Studies in Literature (Race & Racial Theories)
Credits: 4
A) Old English Literature, B) Medieval Literature, C) 16th Century, D) 17th Century, E) 18th Century, F) English Romantic Period, G) Victorian Period, H) 20th Century, I) Drama, J) Novel, K) Poetry, L) Non-fiction, M) American Literature, N) A Literary Problem, O) Literature of the Renaissance, R) Race and Racial Theories. The precise topics and methods of each section vary. Barring duplication of subject, may be repeated for credit. For details, see the course descriptions available in the English department.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Equivalent(s): ENGL 797
Grade Mode: Letter Grading